1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bobbin-winding machines and particularly to machines of such character wherein empty bobbins are automatically delivered to the winding head and full bobbins may be automatically removed from the winding head. More specifically, this invention is directed to the winding of sewing thread on bobbins and especially to the automatic and serial supply of empty bobbins to a bobbin-winding head and to the subsequent removal therefrom of wound bobbins. Accordingly, the general objects of the present invention are to provide novel and improved apparatus and methods of such character.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the winding of sewing thread bobbins, it is conventional practice to manually place the empty bobbins, also known as bobbin tubes, on the winding head. Likewise, it is conventional practice to manually remove the bobbins from the winding head after they have been filled, i.e., wound with the desired quantity of thread. Such manual operation has the advantage of imparting flexibility to the winding operation. By way of example, the manual supply of bobbin tubes to the winding head makes small-batch production feasible. However, such manual operation also presents the disadvantage that, when the manufacturing operation has a large number of individually operated winding heads, periods of inactivity inherently result after a bobbin has been fully wound and the head is waiting operator attention. Such "wait" times, when the heads are inactive, diminishes overall plant efficiency.
Bobbin-winding machines are known in the art wherein the supply of empty bobbins to the winding heads is effected automatically and full bobbins are automatically removed from the winding heads. While bobbin-winding machines having automatic bobbin supply and removal capability theoretically exhibit higher productivity than machines wherein such operations are performed manually, experience has shown that such automatic machines are economically justifiable only when batch sizes are comparatively large. Experience has also shown that the previously available automatic bobbin supply and removal devices have been lacking in the requisite reliability and bobbin supply or removal device failure has resulted in disabling the entire winding-head capacity of the production line. A further disadvantage of the prior automatic bobbin supply and removal devices has resided in the fact that such devices have been inconvenient to use. For example, the operating controls of prior art bobbin supply and removal devices have been located at the front of the apparatus while the removal of full bobbins has been effected at the rear of the apparatus.